Attachment for closing devices



s. M. BISHO v l l 2,028,269

` ATTACHMENT FOR CLOSING DEVICES Jan. 21, 1936.

Filed NOV. 27, 1954 1 la 2| zo z5 7 Patented `Ian. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l 3 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for closing openings between two relatively movable objects and it has for an object the provision of a simple, inexpensive, reliable and improved device of this '5 character.

More specifically the invention relates to antidraft devices for preventing the passage of air currents through the space between the bottom. of a'door and the floor of a dwelling house and the like. Due to the increasing utilization of thermostats to control the heating systems of moderndwelling housesit is becoming increasingly important to prevent the passage oi cold air currents from bed-rooms into the remainder of the house, lowering the temperature and causing the thermostat to respond to open the furnace drafts and thus waste fuel.

Devices heretofore utilized for this purpose have been subject to rapid wear, and loss of eiciency necessitating frequent replacement. Accordingly a further object of this invention is the provision of an anti-draft device which is maintained out of engagement with the oor during the opening and closing movements off the door so that wear and consequent loss of efliciency are substantially eliminated.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a deviceof this character which is easily applied or removed from ya door and which '30 by a very slight change may be applied either to a right or left hand door.

In carrying the invention into effect in one form thereof a sealing member is attached to the door by suitable fastening means` which provide 35 for movement of the member with respect to the door, and means are provided for actuating this sealing member into engagement with both the oor and the door when the door is closed, together with means for automatically actuating 40 the sealing member out of engagement with the :door during its opening and closing movements.

For a better and Vmore complete understanding of the invention reference should now be had to the following specication and to the accom- 45 panying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a broken view in perspective of a dwelling house door with the anti-draft device of the invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the door of Fig. 1 taken on a line between theknob and 5o the floor illustrating the operation of the device;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section illustrating the attachment of the sealing member to the door and the manner in which the sealing member is retracted from engagement with the 55 floor when the door is open; Fig. 4 isaview similar to Fig. 3 illustrating the manner in which the device operates to close the opening between the bottom of the door and the floor when the door is closed; Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view illustrating the manner of attaching a resilient 5 fabric-like member to the rod; and Fig. 6 is a sectionalfview similar to Fig. 3 illustrating the reversibility of the device for 'application to a right-hand door.

Referring now to the drawing, a doorway such 10 for example as the doorway into the bedroom of a dwelling house is adapted to be closed Yby a door I0 which is mounted for pivotal movement on hinges II.v The usual lateral door stops I2 and I3 are provided. These stops serve to limit 15 the movement of the door and to provide a tight joint between the door and the jambs i4 and I5. For the purpose of tightly closing the opening between .the bottom edge of the door I0 and the floor I6 to prevent the passage of air currents when thedoor is closed, suitable sealing means, `illustrated as a rod-like member II is provided. Although this member may be made of any suitable material, it is preferably made of some Vinexpensive material suchas Wood. It is preferably round in cross-section and of sufficient diameter' to insure the necessary rigidity. A diameter of 5/8 is usually sufficient. The length of the rod member I'I is substantially Athe width of the door I0 less the combined thickness of the two door stops I2 and I3.

A'longitudinal strip of felt I8, cloth or other suitable resilient material is attached to the rod member I'I by any suitable fastening means illustrate'd as small nails I9. The strip has a wclthslightly more than the diameter of the rod so that it will engage the floor I6 and the face of the door I0 when the latter is closed as illustrated in Fig. 4. Suitable means illustrated as a pair of hooks 2l! and 2I and a cooperating pair of eye members 22 and 23 are provided for movably mounting the rod member on the door Ill. The eye members 22 and 23 are screwed into the rod member, as illustrated, at a point with respect to the center line 2li such that when the rod memberis in the position illustrated in Fig. 4 the Yfelt will be in contact both with the floor and the face of the door. The hook members 20 and 2I are screwed into the door at a predetermined distance above the floor. This distance is of course determined by the dimensions of the rod I'I and the hooks and eyes and is so determined that when the eye member 22 is inthe position on the shankof the hook 20 5 5 illustrated in Fig. 3, the rod I1 will be lifted out of engagement with the floor by the distance :t and also retracted from engagement with the door, whereas when the eye member 22 is in the position on the shank of the hook illustrated in Fig. 4 the rod will engage both the floor and the face of the door as indicated. The hook 2E) farthest away from the hinges has a shank which has a slightl amount of upward curvature gradually merging into the more sharply curved or hooked portion. The hook 29 is further provided with a fixed cup-shaped washer 24 which determines the distance the `hook is screwed into the door, and with a loose cup-shaped washer 25. As shown, the loose washer 25 is located on the hook 20 between the eye member 22 and the fixed washer 24, and both washers 24 and 25 are arranged with their cupped interiors facing each other and their backs abutting against the door I and the eye member 22 respectively. The hook 2| is an ordinary hook cooperating with the eye 23 in the usual manner.

Suitable resilient means, illustrated as a coiled compression spring 26 surrounding the shank of the hook 20 between the washers 24 Vand 25, is provided for moving the eye member 22 and the sealing member I1 upwardly along the curved shank of the hook. This spring has a length and .a compression force just sufficient to actuate the sealing member 2li to the position away from the door and above the floor illustrated in Fig. 3 when the door .is open.

For the purpose of actuating the sealing member into engagement with the floor and the door when the latter is closed, suitable means illustrated as an angle member 21 are provided. This .angle member has a base Vportion which is secured by suitable fastening means 28 to the -end of the sealing member farthest from the door hinges and a plate portion 21a substantially at right angles with the base portion which engages the vstop I2 in the nearly closed and closed positions of vthe door.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the device is composed of simple, inexpensive parts and that it may be easily installed on any door without requiring :the exercise of any skill.

With the foregoing understanding of the elements and their organization, the operation of the completed ldevice will readily be understood from the following description:

When the door I0 is open the parts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 3 with the sealing member il positioned well above the floor and away from the door |10.

As the door is closed, it `approaches the stop l2 diagrammatically represented in Figs. 3, 4 and 6 by the Ldotted line. In the nearly closed position of the door illustrated in Fig. 3, the lower edge of the plate portion 21a of the angle member is just engaging the stop l2. As the closing movement progresses the shank of the hook 2 slides through the movable washer 25 and eye 22, thereby compressing the spring 26, the force of which against the eye member 22 rocks or rotates the sealing member in a clockwise direction about the edge 27a of the angle as a pivot. In the fully closed position of the door lil, the spring 26 is fully compressed and the member l1 is rotated to the position illustrated in Fig. 4 with the felt strip I8 tightly pressed against the floor i6 vand the face of the door IU thereby eiectually closing the opening between the bottom of the door and the floor against the passage of air currents. In addition, the device acts as a door check which prevents banging the door closed. It also eliminates annoying and sleep disturbing rattling of bedroom doors due to air currents from open bedroom windows.

When the door is opened, the shank of the hook 2li slides back through the eye. As the opening movement progresses, the spring expands and its compressional force decreases allowing the sealing member I1 to be rotated by the hook 20 in a counter-clockwise direction about the lower edge of the face 21a of the angle member. The expansion of the spring y26 continues to lift the sealing member il from the floor and force it away from the door until the `door passes the nearly closed position illustrated in Fig. 3. Thereafter, the sealing member I 'I is held by the spring 26 in a position well-above the floor as shown in Fig. 3 so that it does not drag :or wipe against the floor as the door swings through the arc of its opening and closing movements. .As Aa result, wear and loss of efficiency requiring replacement .are effectually eliminated.

If the device is to be utilized on a door opening oppositely lfrom that shown in the drawing,

i. e., a right hand door instead of `a left-hand:

door, it is only necessary to change the eye members 22, `23 to approximately diametrically opposite positions, `as shown .i-n Fig. `6. Alternatively, the eyes may 'be left in the .positions illustrated and the angle member may be placed on the opposite end of the member :11.

Although .in vaccordance Iwith the provisions of the patent statutes, the principle of this inven- Vtion and the best mode in which it is ycontemplated applying `it .have been explained, it will be understood that the embodiment shown and described is merely illustrative and that the in'- vention is not limited thereto since alterations and modifications will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in .the art without .departing from the true spirit of this invention or from the .scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the Uni-ted States is:

1. An attachment to a member for closing an opening having a fstop, comprising a sealing member, means for vattaching said sealing member to said .closing mem-'ber comprising a hook member secured to said closing :member and an eye member secured to said seal-ing member and cooperating with said `hook member to provide movement of said sealing member with respect to said closing member, a spring member for movi-ng said sealing member along the `shank of said hook member and biasing `said sealing member out of engagement with said closing mem;- ber and with a part forming said opening and a member secu-red to said sealing member at one -extremity thereof and arranged to engage said stop in response to the closing movement of said closing member for effecting rotary movement of said sealing member into engagement with said closing member and .said part.

2. An anti-draft device for doors provided with the lateral stops comprising a rod :member having a length substantially equal to the distance between said lateral stops, means for attaching said member to `said door comprising a hook member .secured to .said door at a predetermined distance above said floor and an eye member secured to said rod member and cooperating with said hook member to provide movement of said rod member with respect to said door, a spring surrounding the shank of said hook member for biasing said rod member out of engagement mth said oor and the face of said door, and a member secured to said rod member at one extremity thereof and arranged to en;- gage With one of said stops in response to the closing movement of said door for effecting rotary movement of said rod member into engagement with said oor and the face of said door.

3. A device for preventing the passage of air current through the space between the floor and the bottom surface of a dwelling house door and the like comprising a rod member having a length substantially equal to the distance between the door stops, said member being pro# vided with a strip of fabric for engaging the face of said door and the surface of said oor to seal said space, fastening means for said rod member comprising a hook member secured to said door at a predetermined distance above the oor and having a shank portion curving upwardly from the floor, an eye member secured to said rod member and cooperating with said hook member to provide for movement of said 4 rod member for engaging one of said stops to 15 rotate said rod member so that said fabric strip is actuated into engagement With said floor and said door.

STORRS M. BISHOP. 

